Overwatch 2 matchmaking change leaves players stranded in queue for hours

A number of high-ranked Overwatch 2 streamers have given up on queuing Competitive as they’ve been hit with queue times in excess of 12 hours. It turns out this is an issue related to Season 10 matchmaking changes.

Many of Overwatch 2’s biggest and highest-ranked content creators were looking to hit Competitive when Season 10 launched, but a number of streamers and other high-level players have found it impossible to get into a match when queuing with a friend.

This issue only seems to affect players who are queued in what’s categorized as a “wide group.” This system was implemented to allow friends to play with each other regardless of rank, but there’s one problem: every group with a player Grandmaster or above falls under this category.

These streamers tested the waters a few days after the initial patch introducing wide match came out, with players calling it a “nightmare” from day 1 due to long queue times. Even casual players are affected by this. If a bronze player decides to play with someone in gold, they’re likely to have to deal with the downsides of this new matchmaking system.

Here’s a breakdown of how wide groups work, as shown by Blizzard:

Blizzard Entertainment

It appears that some of the most dedicated Overwatch 2 players are in trouble if they try to queue with their friends like they’ve demanded for years. Solo queue seems to still be the way to go for high-ranked players.

Overwatch 2’s developers have always been hesitant to introduce systems that allow high-ranked players to queue with their friends in comp games, and now we see why.